Leftovers: Mt. Sinai 'C' state semis

Here are some of the quotes from Mt. Sinai which didn't make it into the game story or sidebar from Friday's Class C state semifinal.

Mt. Sinai coach Courtney Leonard:

When did you feel like the win was safe?

At the end of the game with about two minutes left and a seven-goal lead I felt pretty good.

What changed after halftime? It went from 6-4 to 10-3.

I think the girls made a lot of mental errors the first half. We were trying to kill a card and half way through one of my girls went to goal. We threw the ball away a couple of times.

I think with a youthful team it’s the mental composure that really makes or break us. The first half we executed some plays beautifully, my goalie made some great saves, my defense made some great stops but we weren’t executing things the way we were in the second half. It goes to composure and mental toughness.

Comment on the performance by Kasey Mitchell:

Kasey, one of the things she did beautifully was she matched her composure with her physical ability. 

Senior attack Rachel Dillon:

You're such a young team, do you feel like you're shocking people?

I think we’re shocking everybody. I don’t think anyone thinks that such a young team can beat (more experienced teams.)

Comment on Julia's play in goal:

She’s an amazing goalie. She just stops it. She’s on top of all her stuff. She watches film. She watches every girl, knows their moves.

What does it mean for Mt. Sinai to play for a state championship?

It means everything. The entire town is so excited about it. It’s huge and it’s an amazing feeling.

When did you feel playing for a state title was a realistic goal this year?

In the beginning of the season. We knew that we were coming out, we’ve been saying the entire time ‘we’re going to states’ and it’s an amazing feeling. To end my senior year this way is unbelieveable.

Comment on Kasey's performance today:

Kasey is an eighth grader and we told her, 'whatever you’ve got to do, just take it, you go. Just go.' She did her job.

Eighth-grade midfielder Sydney Pirreca:

You're so young, can you fully comprehend what playing for a state title means for Mt. Sinai?

I can’t even, Mt. Sinai hadn’t even gotten this far and to be an eighth grader and to be going through this experience, it’s undescribable.